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The proverb also states that one should not fear the fierce tiger outside the door, but rather the wolf within the home. Jin Shu encountered bandits in broad daylight and nearly faced humiliation. She thought she had found safety within this stronghold, only to realize she had escaped from a wolf's den and entered a tiger's mouth.
She was the wife of a wealthy family in Gaimu City, exceptionally beautiful and dignified. Although she was already in her late twenties, she was at the peak of her maturity and charm. The rogues had long been coveting her, and Eulji Nawi usually indulged his trusted subordinates. However, those with outstanding beauty were not spared from insult, and many had to endure humiliation for the sake of survival.
In Goguryeo, slaves had no rights whatsoever, akin to livestock, and women held no status. Within the stronghold, women were at the mercy of Eulji Nawi and his subordinates, who often took advantage of them. They had already tasted the sweetness of such encounters, so when they saw Jin Shu's beauty, one of the rogues stealthily dragged her into a room.
Fortunately, Li Chengjun was clever and did not indulge in horse meat. When he turned around and could not find his mother, he anxiously searched everywhere. Hearing commotion from a wooden house, he rushed in but was overpowered by the rogue and beaten until his face was bloodied. He could only come out to seek help from Xu Zhen.
Upon discovering this heinous act, Xu Zhen was filled with rage. She had initially thought this stronghold was a refuge for rogues resisting tyranny; now it seemed these rebels were no different from the bandits outside!
Realizing this, Xu Zhen could hardly contain her fury. She seized the rogue by the back of his neck, channeling her inner energy through her body. With immense strength in her arm, she lifted the frail rogue into the air and forcefully threw him outside!
Jin Shu was still wearing the robe that Xu Zhen had wrapped around her during the day. Seeing Xu Zhen arrive felt like encountering a savior; she cried and rushed into Xu Zhen's arms, trembling like a frightened lamb.
Li Chengjun arrived breathlessly and, upon seeing his mother safe, tears streamed down his face. The mother and son embraced each other in sorrowful weeping. After calming down slightly, they bowed to Xu Zhen in gratitude, who quickly helped them up.
Seeing Li Chengjun's face filled with indignation and determination, Xu Zhenxin felt a headache coming on. He drew a flying knife from his waist and placed it in Li Chengjun's hand, sternly telling the ten-year-old boy, "You are now a man. From now on, your mother will rely on you for protection. Can you do it?"
Li Chengjun wiped away the blood from his brow and nodded heavily at Xu Zhen!
Just as Xu Zhen was about to lead the mother and son out to seek justice, there was a commotion outside. The rogue had gathered seven or eight others who charged into the wooden house with knives aimed at Xu Zhen!
These men had long noticed Eulji Nawi's hatred for Xu Zhen. If they killed her, it would be a significant achievement. They were waiting for the rogue to finish with Jin Shu before taking their turn; now that Xu Zhen had spoiled their plans, they would not let her go easily.
Human patience has its limits; no matter how much Xu Zhen feared Eulji Nawi or considered her rescue plan, she could no longer tolerate it. With a clang, she drew her long knife, its cold gleam illuminating the wooden house. The rebels wielded rusty old weapons that stood no chance against Xu Zhen's blade!
The sound of metal clashing echoed continuously as Xu Zhen unleashed her strength. The weapons in the hands of those seven or eight rebels shattered instantly; in terms of martial skill, these Goguryeo rogues were no match for Xu Zhen. In just a few breaths' time, they were all defeated and thrown out of the door like fallen flowers!
Seeing Xu Zhen's prowess, the rogue dared not challenge her directly. Taking advantage of his brothers' cover, he circled around Xu Zhen to unleash his fury on Jin Shu!
Xu Zhen turned her head and saw that the villain was still unrelenting, pushing back the remaining rebels with his long knife. She kicked the villain away, sending him crashing against the wall. The thin wooden boards couldn't withstand the force and shattered, creating a large hole.
As the villain attempted to rise, he found Li Chengjun standing before him, covered in blood, his eyes filled with endless fury. Just as he was about to curse, Li Chengjun lunged at him like an enraged monkey, repeatedly stabbing the villain's neck with a flying knife, again and again, until the villain could no longer speak or retaliate.
Jin Shu, witnessing her son’s ferocity, quickly covered her mouth in shock, her eyes filled with horror but unable to hide her relief. It seemed that the son she had desperately protected had grown up the moment he took Xu Zhen's flying knife.
The rebels, unable to contend with Xu Zhen, picked up broken blades and guarded the entrance while shouting loudly, causing more people to gather.
Gao Renwu and Gao Huizhen, hearing the commotion, hurried over to check. After parting the crowd, they saw Jin Shu disheveled and hiding behind Xu Zhen, while Li Chengjun tightly gripped the flying knife, his body and face splattered with the villain's blood, yet a harmless smile lingered on his lips.
Eulji Nawi and others from Stronghold understood what had transpired with just a glance because such events were all too common; every woman rescued had been shared among the brothers in Stronghold.
Even Princess Min'en and Gao Huizhen turned a blind eye to it. After all, Xu Zhen was merely an outsider and an enemy of Goguryeo. How dare she allow Li Chengjun to kill?
The men in Stronghold were furious!
They picked up their weapons and surrounded the wooden house heavily. The women of Stronghold, witnessing this scene and looking at Xu Zhen standing with her knife while protecting Jin Shu, felt their eyes welling up with tears.
Gao Huizhen, observing the expressionless Xu Zhen and sensing the changes within Stronghold, felt confused. At that moment, her curiosity about Xu Zhen outweighed her disdain. Why did Xu Zhen care for Jin Shu so much when the Tang People treated their servants so callously?
However, she forgot that these rogues were not slaves of Stronghold. Before entering Stronghold, they were all citizens of Goguryeo, not slaves.
Gao Renwu desperately wanted to control the rebels within Stronghold. This would become his first capital for raising an army to reclaim power. Thus, he tolerated Eulji Nawi's disrespect. But if he did not take a stand now, even if Xu Zhen was brave and strong, it might be difficult for her to leave this Stronghold.
He struggled internally; it was Xu Zhen who had rescued him from the dungeon in Youzhou, and it was also she who brought him across to Liaodong. He wanted to take advantage of the Tang Dynasty's campaign against Liao to act opportunistically. However, this was not a matter of empty-handedly catching wolves; without armed forces in hand, even if the great Tang General destroyed all of Goguryeo, reclaiming his throne would still be challenging.
While Gao Renwu hesitated, Xu Zhen showed no signs of doubt. She dragged her long knife step by step out of the house. The rebels retreated step by step, staring at the long knife in her hand and glancing at the severed blade pieces inside, their hearts filled with panic.
"This Tang person is an outsider and an enemy of the Sun God. He has bewitched this mother and son pair, turning this child into a beast that kills. They must not be spared!"
Eulji Nawi pointed at Xu Zhen and scolded, "When one is poor, they can only look to the heavens." These Rogues almost all worshipped the Sun God. Eulji Nawi knew how to manipulate people's hearts, and with a single sentence, he ignited their fighting spirit.
Seeing the Rogues about to riot, Gao Renwu gritted his teeth and finally stood on Xu Zhen's side, feigning authority as he said, "This is a guest of mine, not an enemy of the Sun God. Is this how we treat guests in Goguryeo?"
Zuo An and Gem quickly moved to Xu Zhen's side as soon as they heard Gao Renwu speak, drawing their blades with a clang.
Eulji Nawi, seeing that one of his Brothers had died, was unwilling to let it go. He had to capture this woman and make her suffer until death; taking Xu Zhen would ensure that she would not escape unscathed.
"Silver Pearl Prince, you have been away from your homeland for too long and have been blinded by the splendor of the Tang Dynasty. Let us capture this person and offer her as a sacrifice to the Sun God, so that the Sun God may open your spiritual eyes!"
Eulji Nawi's call was met with a hundred responses; the Refugee Resistance Army seemed to be filled with courage in an instant, all pressing toward Xu Zhen. Gao Huizhen, fearing that the situation would spiral out of control, shouted angrily, "She is just an annoying Tang person, not an enemy of the Sun God. Just drive her away."
Gao Huizhen did not know Xu Zhen's true identity nor did she understand that Gao Renwu needed to rely on Xu Zhen and the Tang Army's strength. She only felt that Xu Zhen was a good man and hoped that the Rogues would spare her life.
However, Eulji Nawi was fixated on Gao Huizhen; every move she made did not escape his notice. Seeing Gao Huizhen plead for Xu Zhen, Eulji Nawi's anger flared even more as he pointed at Xu Zhen and shouted.
"He is an enemy of the Sun God! We cannot let him go! Capture him!"
Gao Renwu saw that the situation was on the brink of collapse and sighed deeply, filled with regret. If conflict broke out, he would have no choice but to abandon this stronghold to protect Gao Huizhen and fight his way out alongside Xu Zhen.
Just as tensions reached a breaking point, Xu Zhen surveyed everyone and suddenly burst into laughter.
He seemed to see the most ridiculous thing in the world as he looked at these foolish Rogues. He didn't know whether to feel joy or pity. He stopped laughing, took a step forward, and spoke in a low voice.
"Since you all worship the Sun God, why do you not recognize me?"
His Goguryeo language was still clumsy; this sentence was spoken in Tang language. Eulji Nawi and many Rogues were confused by it. Gao Renwu could only shake his head helplessly; at this point, he had no choice but to stand with Xu Zhen and translated it into Goguryeo language.
The Rogues saw Xu Zhen speaking arrogantly and blaspheming against their deity, which made them even more agitated. Even some women within the stronghold began to resent Xu Zhen!
Gao Renwu felt a chill run down his spine as he watched the battle about to erupt. The Xu Zhen was adding fuel to the fire at such a critical moment; wasn't this just seeking her own demise?
However, what happened next became an indelible scene for Gao Renwu and all the Goguryeo People present for the rest of their lives.
The Xu Zhen plunged her long knife into the ground, opened her arms, and tilted her head slightly back as if embracing the entire night sky. She seemed to rise above everyone else, her face radiating a sacred glow. She murmured strange incantations, and suddenly, two flames ignited in her palms!
"Poof! Poof!"
The flames in the Xu Zhen's hands burned brightly, and the entire Stronghold fell into a deathly silence.
"If you are truly followers of the Sun God, then believe in me to attain transcendence."
This time, the Xu Zhen spoke in Goguryeo Language.
"Boom!"
The entire Stronghold knelt in unison!
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